Tag: soups

Heaven only knows what my husband fed those courgette plants this year, but the monsters keep on coming…

To this end, I have needed to come up with a LOT of courgette recipes. I don’t really fancy them spiralised (which is the trendy treatment de jour), so this week I made soup instead.

It’s a very summery soup – courgettes, feta and mint – and you could always make it more substantial with some shredded chicken, or a poached egg on top. Another idea is bacon ‘croutons’. Cut a rasher of bacon into small pieces, fry in a little butter until crispy and use to top the soup.

You can’t let a seasonal round-up go past without mentioning asparagus. I think it’s better roasted or char-grilled than boiled. You can wrap it in Parma ham before roasting to make lovely low-carb canapés or why not try out some home-made Hollandaise?

Hollandaise is actually easier than you think to make – just pick the right recipe. Delia Smith’s foaming Hollandaise is a good one to try for the Hollandaise beginner.

Hollandaise Sauce

Put the egg yolks into a small food processor or blender along with the seasoning. Blend until combined.

Heat the lemon juice and vinegar in a small saucepan. Let it start to bubble and then add to the egg yolks and blend well.

Melt the butter in the same saucepan slowly – don’t let it brown. Begin to add slowly to the food processor (through the funnel) or blender. The process is similar to that you use when making mayonnaise.

You will eventually end up with a smooth, buttery and lemon-y sauce. To make foaming Hollandaise – beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks and fold them into the finished sauce. This will lighten the sauce and make it go further.

The finished sauce has negligible carbohydrates – about 1-2g per serving.

Got a glut of broccoli? OK, I wrote that sentence without irony but bear with me…

Broccoli isn’t at the top of most people’s preferred foods, but adding a tablespoon of butter to it helps a great deal, as does turning into a soup. Use home-made stock and the results improve immeasurably.

Soups are often associated more with winter than spring/summer – but why let tradition stop your enjoyment of warm, savoury deliciousness..?